A woman who has accused Bill Cosby of sexually assaulting her in the 1970s has filed a defamation lawsuit against the comedian, alleging he "publicly branded" her a liar through statements made by his lawyer and publicist.
Tamara Green said in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Springfield that Cosby drugged and assaulted her when she was an aspiring model. Green first spoke publicly about the alleged attack in 2005.
Green says after she did media interviews, Cosby's lawyer and publicist made statements intended to expose her to public contempt and ridicule.
The lawyer, Walter M Phillips Jr, declined to comment. Messages left for the publicist, David Brokaw, weren't immediately returned. Cosby is the lawsuit's only defendant.
Cosby, who is 77 and has a home in Shelburne Falls in western Massachusetts, has never been charged in connection with any sexual assault allegations.
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"This lawsuit provides an opportunity for Ms Green and Mr Cosby to litigate the truth or falsity of the comments," Joseph Cammarata, a Washington, DC lawyer who represents Green in her defamation lawsuit, said.
Los Angeles attorney Martin Singer, who has represented Cosby in the renewed round of allegations, did not immediately return calls seeking comment on Green's lawsuit.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Green, 66, could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday.
